Like Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, during this pandemic we are in a wilderness being tempted by fear, worry and sorrow – but we do not walk alone. God is doing a work of transformation in us, and guiding our journey forward into the new church, the church that God needs us to be.

Click on the video at right to watch (time: 8:42), or
click here to read the transcript.

From Our Canons

Sing a new church

By the Rev. Canon Margo Peckham Clark

This present moment is truly like no other we have ever experienced, and it has impacted the whole world; there is no going back. We hold onto what we treasure most faithfully, by letting God transform it, by trusting that God holds the past, the present and the future together in God’s boundless being that is the source of life itself.
Read more.

Stories from Our Congregations

A long line of people wait for meals provided by the food ministries at Holy Trinity Church in West Orange.

﻿PHOTO COURTESY HOLY TRINITY, WEST ORANGE.

No one leaves Holy Trinity empty-handed these days

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing outreach across The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Newark, and the 16-year-old food ministry at Holy Trinity in West Orange is no exception.

The parish’s food pantry used to supply 150 families with food and staples each week. Now 500 families are being helped twice a week. And, while its Christine’s Kitchen used to serve between 80 and 100 guests, the soup kitchen is now giving away 125 pre-made sandwich meals every Saturday. The ministry is also delivering food to elderly people.
Read more.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on every aspect of our lives gives us quite a lot to talk about. Bishop Hughes is eager to spend time in conversation with the members of the diocese, to reflect and consider what we, our churches, and our communities have learned and experienced as we have adjusted to the changes this time has demanded of us.

The Bishop has grouped all congregations into eight
Regional Ministry Networks, named for saints and further identified by geography. She is inviting the parishes of each Regional Ministry Network to join her for a Zoom meeting. Upcoming regional Zoom meetings will be held at
6 PM on these dates:

Bishop Hughes will be joined on this call by Canons Margo Peckham Clark and Andrew Wright, CFO Sam Reckford, Missioner for Stewardship and Legacy Giving Cynthia McChesney, and Diocesan Property and Risk Manager Jim Caputo. The information needed to log in to this Zoom meeting has been emailed to all wardens and treasurers.

Upcoming Pop Up Youth Zoom meetings will be held at 4 PM on
Sunday, June 21 and
Sunday, July 5.

College Students' Zoom meeting with the Bishop

WED, MAY 27, 4 PM

All college students in the diocese whose semesters were interrupted by COVID-19 are invited to join Bishop Carlye Hughes and Canon Margo Peckham Clark for an interactive conversation via Zoom.

College students should contact their clergy, wardens and/or parish office to get the credentials necessary to access the Zoom meeting.

Scholarships from The Episcopal Church

The applications deadline has been extended for
educational scholarships from The Episcopal Church for the 2020-2021 academic year. A scholarship applicant must be an Episcopalian and must have the endorsement of his/her bishop. New application deadline:
MON, MAY 25, 2020.

Diocesan Announcements & Resources

Memorial Day observance

The Bishop's staff has the day off next Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day. We wish you all a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.

COVID-19 information updates

We are continuing to post opportunities to worship online with congregations across our diocese on our
Online & Home Worship page. Included are some offerings specifically for children. Please send changes to Nina Nicholson at
nnicholson@dioceseofnewark.org.
Updates received after 4 PM Friday will be posted the following week.

This week's reflection is
Thank you, God by Libby Clarke of Christ Church, Short Hills.

If you'd like to participate in this weekly series please send your reflection (250 word maximum) to Cynthia McChesney,
cmcchesney@dioceseofnewark.org.

In addition to these mini-essays, we hope you'll also participate on social media for more! We'll be posting with the hashtag #GratitudeMatters.

News from The Episcopal Church

"Habits of Grace" from Presiding Bishop Curry

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is offering Habits of Grace, a weekly meditation published on Mondays, to help Episcopalians cope during the COVID-19 pandemic. The meditation for the week of May 18 is
Finding gladness. You can catch up on all past meditations
here.

A Time to Mourn:

An Ecumenical Memorial Service for Lives Lost to COVID19

SUN, MAY 24, 6 PM

Presiding Bishop Curry will preach at a public online memorial service to mourn the more than 300,000 people worldwide who have lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes more than 90,000 in the United States. The service, hosted by the National Council of Churches USA (NCC), will take place
this Sunday, May 24 at 6 PM.
Find out more.

Embracing Evangelism series

The Episcopal Church announces the launch of
Embracing Evangelism, a six-part digital course exploring our call to seek, name, and celebrate Jesus’ loving presence in the stories of all people – and then invite everyone to more.
Find out more.